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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27620945">Danger at the Door</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/anna_bananna/pseuds/anna_bananna'>anna_bananna</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Old Guard (Movie 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - No Powers, Community: theoldguardkinkmeme, Home Invasion, Hurt/Comfort, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani and Nicky | Nicolò di Genova are in Love, Manhandling, Stalking, Tears, Whump, mostly hurt/some comfort, non-consensual cooking</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:01:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,163</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27620945</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/anna_bananna/pseuds/anna_bananna</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Joe is a PI working on a missing person's case that has spiraled out of control. When trouble eventually comes knocking, unfortunately, it will be Nicky who will be the only one home...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Booker | Sebastien le Livre/Nile Freeman, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>253</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Based on this prompt from theoldguard kinkmeme</p><p>No powers AU</p><p>Joe is a police detective or private eye or lawyer (writers choice) working on a huge case against a powerful bad guy. Bad guy starts to threaten/stalk Joe to try to force him off the case. But bad guys also goes after Nicky too.</p><p>Nicky is an average guy and this situation is a little overwhelming.</p><p>Bonus: Joe's work hires body guards for them --&gt; Andy and some/all of the guard.<br/>Extra Bonus: Nicky gets kidnapped</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Joe let his head fall into his hands and rub harsh circles into his eyes. He could not believe this was happening. He should have seen it coming after weeks of more subtle hints telling him to drop this investigation. But random late night calls, and veiled sneers and threats at his local watering hole had seemed innocuous against the pictures spread out in front of him.</p>
<p>Pictures of him taken from a wide angle lens getting out of his car at his office, leaving a coffee shop, eating lunch on an outdoor patio, standing in front of Nicky’s bakery, and the worst one of all was of him with his arms around Nicky on their apartment balcony. Nicky holding his morning coffee, his head turned down, eyes closed, smiling (and Joe knew probably blushing) as he had whispered some particularly filthy things in his ear. Remembered how not long after this picture was taken Nicky had turned around and pushed him back inside the apartment. That had been a very good Saturday morning.</p>
<p>It couldn’t have been more than a week or two ago.</p>
<p>It had been fine when he had been the only one being threatened. And while only a few of the photos contained his husband, this threat was hitting too close to home. He hated that these people knew where he lived and he hated that they knew who Nicky was.</p>
<p>Sitting in his office, the big picture window that looked out on the city from his second story view now felt much more open and unnerving in a way he ever could have imagined. He had started to love the noir essence he felt with the reflection of the red neon of the sign of the private detective agency he worked for reflected into his office during late nights. Like a Dashiell Hammett, Sam Spade type character. He had loved the inherent mysteriousness of it. Now, all he wanted to do was pull the blinds down and never look out there again.</p>
<p>He startled as he heard a knock at his door. Without waiting for an answer, Andy came in, as if she owned the place. Probably because she did.</p>
<p>“Hey, boss.” Joe said as she came to sit at one of the empty chairs across from his desk.</p>
<p>Andy had started the Old Guard Investigators years ago. Both of them coming from similar backgrounds. Both former cops who had entered the field because of their desire to help people, but then quickly becoming disillusioned by the petty politics and corruption that was so ingrained into the system that they were entering. Fight as much as you want, it felt as if you could either burn out trying to fix it or give in and allow yourself to become corrupted.</p>
<p>They had run into each other at the local cop bar as he had been drowning his sorrows into a glass of beer, trying to do the math of how he could still propose to Nicky if he suddenly became the definition of a starving artist.</p>
<p>She must have seen the desperation on his face as she sat beside him and bought them another round of drinks. He told her of his trouble and she spoke about how she had just lost one of her best investigators if he wanted to try out the private sector.</p>
<p>That had been five years ago, and while being a PI was a lot of cheating husbands and wives, he had also gotten himself a reputation for tracking down missing persons. Especially with the help of his computer-whiz best friend, Booker.</p>
<p>Missing persons cases was actually how he had ended up in this situation. A local small time gang had recently pushed into becoming a big time crime family by delving into the disgusting trade of human trafficking among other things.</p>
<p>One of the mothers of the first girls to go missing had come in a few weeks ago. And while he had told her that she might not be getting the same child back she had lost if she got her back at all, she had just choked out that she had to try.</p>
<p>When he had inquired why she wasn’t letting the police handle the matter, he had been disgusted to hear that the local police might also be getting new kickbacks from this gang. Thus, these new missing persons cases were being moved onto their back burners.</p>
<p>But looking into one missing girl, has spiraled into the seedy workings of this new criminal network. And how far their fingers might be reaching into the police department in ways Joe hadn’t seen before. Going beyond just looking the other way to certain matters, but that they might actually be working in tandem.</p>
<p>“Nile said you had been quiet this morning since a mysterious package arrived” Andy said with questioning eyes as she took in the chaotic scene across Joe’s desk.</p>
<p>It had been several hours since the private messenger had dropped these off. He just kept looking down and thinking about what he had been doing and thinking when these photos had been taken. His thoughts spiraling knowing that he had never even considered himself to have a silent stalker. Was he outside? Was he waiting for him to leave so that he could follow him home? And then, his eye would catch one of the photos with Nicky and that would lead him into a different spiral thinking about them following him, watching him, and he having no idea either.</p>
<p>All Joe could do was sit back in his chair with a look of desperation on his face, throwing his hands out over the contents of his desk. “What am I supposed to do with this?”</p>
<p>Andy hummed to herself. Leaning forward to rifle through some of the photos. Eyes catching on some of the ones containing herself. And then finally alighting on the ones of Joe and Nicky’s moment on their balcony.</p>
<p>“Any note?”</p>
<p>“No.”</p>
<p>“Anything identifying on the envelope?”</p>
<p>Joe shakes his head, his eyes falling shut. “No prints, no return address, nothing”</p>
<p>“Shit.” Andy moved to sit back into her own chair. “So we don’t even really know if it’s those corrupt fucks connected with this new Merrick crime family and the police department or just some crazy ex husband.”</p>
<p>“Well....” Joe responded causing Andy to quirk an eyebrow up at him.</p>
<p>He hadn’t told her about the other subtle threats.</p>
<p>“This might not be the first time I’ve been so overtly threatened.” Breaking down the last few weeks of late night calls and whispers and leers at the bar, she nodded her face becoming more hardened and closed off the longer he spoke. All of the goons he had seen thus far he knew to be cops that he had always known to be not so upstanding.</p>
<p>“Joe, I am not here to tell you what to do with your investigations. But, I will tell you, it isn’t your job to try and fix this city.”</p>
<p>“I know.” He groaned leaning forward again to place his elbows on his desk and rubbed his eyes into the palms of his open hands. “At this point I just wish I could find Alyssa, or at least find something to give her mom some peace of mind.”</p>
<p>Andy nodded as she began to stand. “Aren’t you supposed to be meeting with one of your informants tonight?”</p>
<p>Joe nods into his hands.</p>
<p>“Why don’t you meet with him, see what info he has, and then go home and sleep on it.” She says this as she begins to pile the photos on his desk into a neat pile. Picking up the envelope they arrived in, she slid them back inside. “And, you need to stop looking at these.” Placing the full and closed envelope back on his desk.</p>
<p>Joe nods again, looking up at her. Her face has softened considerably as she turns to walk back to the door. Opening it, she turns back needing to say one last thing. “You need to tell Nicky about those, too. He deserves to know.”</p>
<p>He nods as they give each other one last solemn look before Andy is out of his office once again.</p>
<p>——-</p>
<p>Staring at his phone, he reached down to pick it up, thought better of it and pulled his hand back.</p>
<p>Biting his lip he thought about all the different ways to approach this conversation until, at last, he decided to talk to Nicky about everything in person.</p>
<p>Grabbing his phone he sent off a quick text, just to give himself some peace of mind.</p>
<p>“Hope you are having a great day!” With a heart emoji and he sent it off. Nothing out of the ordinary, but he knows Nicky enough to know he will respond in turn with his own sweet reply.</p>
<p>Almost immediately the three dots pop up on the screen.</p>
<p>“I am, my love! I was just thinking about how I might be able to give us a great night, too” with a winky face emoji is his reply.</p>
<p>Joe felt himself give a slight blush. Loving how even after all of their years together, this man could still drive him wild with just a few simple words.</p>
<p>He contemplates telling his informant he can’t make it tonight. This guy rarely has good intel, but he knows how important it is to keep a consistent schedule with these types of people. Easily spooked and often flighty themselves, Joe just tells himself that it will be a quick meeting and then he will be free to spend the rest of his evening with his beloved.</p>
<p>-----------</p>
<p>Nicky was humming to himself as he clutched at the bag of fresh groceries against his hip trying to fetch the right key, fumbling them in one hand before finally getting the right key into the lock.</p>
<p>‘Ughhh’ he cursed under his breath as he had to push and pull the lock this way and that, eventually having to fully put the bag of groceries down on the ground to get the lock to slide open by pulling the knob back with all his strength while simultaneously jamming the door up in order to get the bolt to finally slide open.</p>
<p>He would have to get Joe to look at that again tonight. It shouldn’t have to be this difficult to open a front door. Nicky knew that this was one of the things they had signed up for when deciding to live in this historic building, and he loved it in so many other ways that it made up for these slight irritations.</p>
<p>Two apartments upstairs and two downstairs limited his neighbors. And, right now two of them were empty and the sweet elderly couple who lived in the downstairs apartment opposite of them mostly kept to themselves. Not that he and Joe were loud neighbors, but it was nice to not feel any sort of guilt for the weird hours they could keep.</p>
<p>Hardwood floors throughout and huge windows flooding the place with beautiful natural light. It had been his and Joe’s first apartment together, just big enough for the two of them but with a small sunroom in the back for Joe to have a little studio. It also meant dealing with constantly drafty windows and a power bill that could be very unpredictable.</p>
<p>The smallness of it created spaces of almost forced intimacy. And, there was nobody but Joe who he would want to experience that with. He had never admitted it out loud, but he kinda liked the way the two of them could barely fit into the kitchen at the same time. Having to grab at each other’s hips and arms to maneuver around one another. The bedroom, also, really only big enough for a full bed meaning they had to practically sleep on top of one another.</p>
<p>Sometimes he wasn’t sure what he did to end up as lucky as he had. Beautiful man with a huge heart and he had found the room to let Nicky come in and cuddle into that space. Constantly surrounded by that loving warmth. His heart can't help but fill with love as he thinks about how Joe can make Nicky feel his love even just by smiling at him.</p>
<p>Finally getting the door opened, he picked up the bag of groceries and walked in the apartment. A small living space greeted him immediately. Despite the thrift store couch, Nicky was proud of his coffee table set up. Three large art books stacked up on top of each other, slightly offset at different angles and three little succulents set around them. And, of course, his forgotten coffee cup left there this morning. Off to each side were two tall skinny bookshelves stacked full of books both himself and Joe having a large library that neither could part with. To his left were the two french doors to their balcony and to the right a small eating nook before a narrow hallway led to the separate doorways for the bedroom, kitchen, and finally the sunroom.</p>
<p>Kicking the door closed with a backwards knock of his foot, dropping his keys on the little table by the front door, he walked to the kitchen.</p>
<p>Joe would be so mad at him for not locking the door back. But maybe it would make them try to fix it tonight. It seemed as if this old building was settling in such a way that in a few months, they would only be able to get into their apartment after climbing up to their balcony if the door was locked.</p>
<p>He had already planned on cooking him one of his favorite dishes and then making his brains dribble from his ears as he sunk to his knees, placed one of Joe’s baseball hats on backwards to keep his hair out of his face and sucked Joe’s cock until he would forgive him.</p>
<p>He wanted to do this for him anyways, Nicky mused. Joe had seemed more and more stressed over the last few weeks. He was always there for him if he wanted to talk about his cases, but he never wanted to be pushy either. He wanted to give Joe the same warm place in his heart that he had given him.</p>
<p>As he finished putting the food away, he glanced at his phone. He had about 20 minutes before he really needed to start cooking. He decided he would take a quick nap having been up since 5am. While he loved his bakery, he always seemed to need a nap around 6pm.</p>
<p>Choosing the darker bedroom over laying down on the couch, he let himself drift off for a bit.</p>
<p>He awoke a short time later to the sound of the front door closing.</p>
<p>‘I wonder what Joe is doing home so early,’ he thought as he started to make his way back to their open living space. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes. So sure that it could only be Joe walking into the apartment, he felt as if he might be dreaming when he found a strange man standing beside the front door.</p>
<p>While Nicky was in no way short, this man’s height combined with obviously large muscles bulging beneath a fitted black long sleeve shirt made Nicky feel unnaturally small.</p>
<p>Like in a dream, he felt as if his body had just become really heavy, and his thoughts were slow but still somehow jumbled. He was going to blame that on why he thought to ask this stranger, “Uh, can I help you with something?” His brow furrowed. This can’t be happening. There is no reason some strange man should be in your house, he thought.</p>
<p>The man only smiled at him. “I am a friend of your husbands.” He said, taking a step toward Nicky.</p>
<p>Like a dance, Nicky found himself taking his own step back into the narrow hall, replying “He didn’t say anything about a friend coming over.”</p>
<p>The smile on the man’s face had molded into the pleased view of a predator having cornered his prey. Nicky felt that penetrating stare and finally felt as if his body and mind might be back on the same connection, made to bolt for the bedroom. Toward a lockable door, toward his phone.</p>
<p>He didn’t make it very far as he felt himself being tackled from behind, falling hard on his forearms. He felt the man begin to pull his ankles back into the living area, past the eating nook.</p>
<p>He was having a hard time thinking straight again. Who was this man? What did he want? What was he going to do if he became incapacitated? Murder? Rape? No. No, get off! He got one leg free and kicked back with all his strength catching the man in the nose, causing him to fall back holding on to his now bloody face. Scrambling away, all Nicky could think to do now was get to the front door and get away. Phone having been forgotten in his panic.</p>
<p>But this man had somehow had enough time to lock the deadbolt and the sliding chain before Nicky had wandered out. Hands shaky with adrenaline and mind fuzzy with fear, he found that once he could finally get the bolt slid open, he forgot the chain. Wrenching the door open only for it to be caught, the man had recovered and was back to his prey. Meaty hands latched onto his shoulders and threw him bodily back. Nicky could not keep himself from crashing backwards onto the coffee table, causing all of his perfectly placed accessories, plus his empty coffee cup, to crash around him as he came to land on the floor between the table and the couch.</p>
<p>He felt blood trickling down the side of his head from where his it had bounced against the hard wood of the floor on his landing. He got up on his hands and knees and made to crawl away, barely registering the sharp pain of the broken ceramic pieces sinking into his palms. He was now only thinking of putting space between him and this man. But again, he felt that ominous pull on his ankle and he felt his head hit the floor again as his arms had given out as he was wrenched backwards.</p>
<p>“Where do you think you’re going?”’ The man quipped with amusement.</p>
<p>Again trying to kick out but this time to no avail as the man had already made to incapacitate his legs by sitting on them, his knees on either side. Nicky tried to turn his body from this prone position, letting his arms fly backwards. But they were easily knocked away as the man pulled himself further up Nicky’s body, like his splayed legs were a tunnel. He took a harsh handful of Nicky’s hair, causing him to let out a yelp as both of his hands flew up to try and remove himself from this hold. But he had no leverage in his current position and could not stop the man from violently slamming his head down on to the hardwood floor beneath them.</p>
<p>Once. Nicky felt his hands fall away from their attempts to remove the hold.</p>
<p>Twice.</p>
<p>A third time.</p>
<p>The man pulled on his hair appraising his work before releasing his painful hold and letting gravity add a little bit more pain to Nicky's body as his head once more hit the ground.</p>
<p>Nicky knew he must have blacked out for some time. But even when he was aware enough to feel his arms being twisted back behind his back and secured with some type of restraint he could not react. His head was a pounding mess. Pain and nausea were at war inside him; he wasn’t even entirely aware of what was happening at the moment. What he was aware of was that there was a disconnect between what his brain wanted his limbs to do and what they were actually doing.</p>
<p>Where.... why... who...??</p>
<p>He felt himself being lifted and then placed on the couch sitting up as the man's face drifted into view. His reality slammed back into him, as the man grabbed at his jaw. Smiling again, but now with a face full of blood and what looked like a broken nose, he gripped his face a little tighter when he could tell Nicky had become lucid again.</p>
<p>“You’re a little firecracker, aren’t you?”</p>
<p>Nicky found himself scooting as far back into the couch as he could get, it being the only way at the moment to put space between them. He wasn’t sure when it had happened, but he could feel the little lines of tears slipping down his face. He was terrified.</p>
<p>“W-what do you want? Money?” What a laughable thought. Nicky had put all of his money into his bakery and his beautiful, mostly self-employed Joe didn’t have any money. Hell, they lived in an apartment whose front door didn’t even lock! Nicky felt himself edging toward hysterical and took deep shuddering breaths as the pounding in his head grew more furious.</p>
<p>“We don’t have any valuables.” He continued with the man's tight grip still holding his cheeks. He just wanted him to stop touching him.</p>
<p>As if reading his thoughts, the man finally released him and took a small step back, sitting on the coffee table that had been cleared of all of its carefully placed nick knacks. “Hmm. You must not think very highly of yourself, little firecracker.”</p>
<p>Nicky did his best to squish his face into a confused look, but it mostly turned into a wince. He just wished his head would stop pounding; he just wished he could think straight. He just wanted Joe.</p>
<p>Switching tactics a little bit, he came back with the cliched, “My husband will be home soon! He isn’t somebody you want to mess with!”</p>
<p>“Oh, we know who your husband is, Nicky.” The man replied by pulling a switchblade from his pocket as he began to pick at his nails as if bored. But also in a blatant show of power.</p>
<p>Nicky felt his throat go dry and a new fear spike in his heart. “What do you want with Joe?”</p>
<p>He had wanted it to come out forcefully, but the ache in his body, the come down of adrenaline but the remaining fear had him feeling deflated. He sagged back into the couch going as boneless as he could letting his eyes drift around the partially destroyed apartment. “I was gonna cook him dinner tonight.” He mumbled mostly to himself. He felt like his mind was trying to drift away. “Are you going to kill us?” He felt as if he was speaking without conscious thought at this point.</p>
<p>The man kinda chuckled as he turned his attention back on Nicky, bringing the blade of the knife under his chin forcing his head back, exposing his throat. “Not today.” He answered unhelpfully.</p>
<p>With a new spike of fear coursing through his body, muscles tensed he felt more silent tears fall from his eyes. But then he felt the tip of the knife move, he had placed it against his cheek as if to caress it. Looking at him, he seemed to be contemplating something.</p>
<p>“Well, we do have a little bit of time to kill. How about we make Joe some dinner for when he gets home. Hmm? Make the time go by faster and it’ll give you something to do besides sit on the couch and look terrified. Do you think you can be good for me?” His eyebrows arching up, “No. More. Kicking.” He emphasized each word by using the switchblade in mocking chastisement by bobbing it gently against his nose. Nicky could only flinch away and nod with terrified eyes.</p>
<p>With that silent agreement, he stood up, grasping Nicky by the forearm. Manhandling him into the tiny kitchen, he used the switch blade to slice through the cords that had been holding his hands behind him. Sitting on a counter beside the kitchen entrance, he kicked his legs out to block the door by placing them on the counter space opposite him. While it didn’t look very comfortable, from his spot he was effectively blocking the only exit and could reach out and touch Nicky easily when he stood almost anywhere in the kitchen.</p>
<p>Nicky felt like he might be sick. In fact, leaning over the kitchen sink, he vomited up the little bit of lunch he had eaten earlier in the afternoon. He felt the man's hand come to pat him on the back in some weird mockery of comfort. He jumped and moved just a little bit out of his range grabbing for a cup to fill with water. Nicky thought, maybe he didn’t like this tiny kitchen after all.</p>
<p>“Could you get me some ice, for my nose?” The stranger asked from behind him. Nicky shuddering as he thought about the way it had felt to connect his foot to the man’s face. He hated violence. The thought of giving it and being on the receiving end this evening was causing him to feel even more nauseous.</p>
<p>Collecting himself enough, he placed a few ice cubes in a small kitchen towel before handing it off. Never trying to make eye contact or initiate a conversation.</p>
<p>Disconnectedly, he noticed the blood on the towel before it had made contact with the man’s face. He let his eyes fall slowly to his hands. It felt as if he was looking at them from the back of his skull, like these were the hands of a giant version of himself. Like he was tunneling away from them.</p>
<p>“Hey!” A shout slammed Nicky back into focus. “No passing out on me,” the man spoke easily while continuing to hold the towel to his nose.</p>
<p>Quickly, Nicky doctored his hands in the small way he could. Strangely, they did not hurt as much as he thought they would. The pain in his head and subsequent nausea still firmly at the forefront of his brain.</p>
<p>After a few minutes, though, of gathering ingredients and his cook wear, his brain seemed to move on auto pilot through his mise en place. But, by the time he was finished cooking, he wasn’t even sure what he had made was edible. Like getting into your car at work and arriving at home with no remembrance of the familiar drive, he looked down at the food before him having little idea of how it arrived in front of him.</p>
<p>While that thought wasn’t very comforting, he was glad that it had made the time pass a little quicker noticing it was almost 7:00pm. The time Joe was usually home by on Wednesday nights.</p>
<p>Nicky now felt as if his mind was working through quicksand.</p>
<p>It was as he had been finishing up and plating the meal, the man had rifled through drawers in the kitchen and adjacent laundry area until he found what he was looking for. Turning around holding the role of duct tape, Nicky felt as if his body had been doused in cold water.</p>
<p>He needed to warn Joe, but he couldn’t over power this man. His fight or flight senses seemed to have fled him after that initial fight and the pounding his skull had taken over. It seemed to flit through his head every now and then about how much his hands had started to ache or he could feel the crusted blood on the side of his head and in his ear. How he felt like his world was currently on a tilted axis as his equilibrium was thrown off. His right ear felt as if it was filled with a painful amount of cotton.</p>
<p>“You don’t have to do this,” Nicky all but whispered backing up the few steps before running into his still warm oven, his eyes flitting to the exit out of the kitchen.</p>
<p>“Don’t start acting up now. You’ve been doing so well.” He reached out to grip Nicky's upper arm hard enough to bruise. More out of reflex than a real escape attempt, Nicky dipped his shoulder down and tried to slip from the grip.</p>
<p>“Please,” Nicky choked out as the man responded to his movement by tightening his already painful grip. Using this hold, he manhandled Nicky twisting him around and slammed him roughly face first into the corner of the kitchen entrance. Twisting his arms around his back and began wrapping layer after layer of tape around his wrists.</p>
<p>Fresh blood now making its way from Nicky's newly split lip, it felt as if through a fog the man led him from the kitchen into a seat at the dining room table. Threading his bound hands through the back of the chair and then wrapping some around his chest and the back of the chair, effectively trapping him in the chair.</p>
<p>“Hey, don’t look like you are walking to the gallows, firecracker. Joe and I just need to have a little chat. It won’t take too long until I’m out of your hair.” With that he ruffles Nicky’s blood crusted hair as if he were old friends before surprising Nicky again by pulling on the tape one more time. This time wrapping two quick rounds around his head and mouth. An effective gag.</p>
<p>His captor wandered off back to the kitchen. Returning to the table a few minutes later with the blood finally having been completely removed from his face. His nose wasn’t bruising too terribly since he had the chance to ice it down. He was also carrying the two plates of food he had plated just minutes earlier before going over to the front door to slide the chain lock back and making sure the bolt was still unlatched.</p>
<p>Sitting at the table, with it set and ready as some sort of mockery to the actual reality of the situation, he feels as if he can’t quite get a grip on his reality. Breathing heavily through his nose, staring out across his partially destroyed living space, he knows that it is because time has stopped.</p>
<p>That is the only way any of this could be happening. He must be stuck in an episode of the twilight zone. How else did you explain the beautifully cooked meal sitting in front of them. Neither planning on eating, both waiting on Joe to walk through those doors for very different reasons. A dimension of not only sight and sound but also of the mind. Next stop, the Twilight Zone.</p>
<p>Unbidden, Nicky once again felt some silent tears streak down his face. He was so scared, and he was drained from how long he has been forced to carry this fear and carry it alone. His head was still an angry, painful mess and the nausea from earlier was still warring inside him. He just wanted to see Joe.</p>
<p>He could fix this.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Joe and Nicky's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day continues</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Across town, completely unaware of the situation taking place at his home, Joe made his way back to his car after finishing up his conversation with his informant.</p>
<p>His mind reeling from what he had just learned.</p>
<p>It would seem this gang was no longer attempting to keep anything that quiet anymore. Dirty cops, dirty money, but Joe was pushing him for any information he might have on their dealings with human trafficking. And while this guy hadn’t, he had given him a lead to a local brothel where the madam running it wasn’t too happy with some of her own girls going missing. Jotting down the address they had parted ways shortly after that.</p>
<p>Joe had also made certain that he hadn’t been followed. Feeling a surge of paranoia anytime he had walked into a public space all day.</p>
<p>He had a lot to think about. He was looking forward to getting home and wrapping himself around Nicky. It was time he knew what he had been delving into and they would decide together how they should proceed.</p>
<p>Checking his phone, he sent off a quick text letting Nicky know he was on his way home.</p>
<p>By the time he had arrived on the other side of town and found a place to park on the street, he found an anxious pit forming in his stomach when Nicky hadn’t texted him back.</p>
<p>Getting out of his car, he stared up at the light he could see shining from the balcony door and living room windows. Maybe, he had just fallen asleep, or left his phone at the bakery... again.</p>
<p>Making his way up the stairs, the feeling of disquiet grew in his stomach causing him to pull out his keys with one hand and drew his gun with the other. He honestly hoped Nicky was asleep now so that he didn’t freak him by barging in with his gun while he possibly just sat reading on the couch.</p>
<p>Placing the key in the lock, his gut was yelling at him as he realized the door was unlocked. Removing the keys from the lock and placing them back into his pocket, he braced himself, putting his ear to the door. Hearing nothing out of the ordinary, he took a breath and turned the knob.</p>
<p>Entering the apartment gun first, formerly trained by the police academy in the protocol for entering a highly charged situation with a level head, no amount of training could have made him ready for the situation that greeted him when he entered his apartment.</p>
<p>Books and dirt littered around the destruction of their coffee table. Blood staining their hardwood floors and couch in dark splotches. But this scene paled in comparison to the one that met his eyes in the small eating nook.</p>
<p>Nicky, the love of his life, face bloody, eyes red rimmed and shining with tears. A cruel gag of duct tape wrapped around his head. And, a man who looked very familiar standing right next to him, a firm hand placed on Nicky's shoulder. A smile spread across his face, breaking the silence that had fallen since Joe’s arrival with a greeting, “Joe, it is so nice for you to finally join us. Please, come have a seat.”</p>
<p>Still trying to process the reality of his current situation, Joe kept his stance planted firmly, gun now trained on the stranger in his home.</p>
<p>“Come on now, Joe. I think Nicky and I would both like for you to lower the gun,” the man emphasizing his point by removing the grip on Nicky's shoulder to grab the top of his head by his hair, pulling back to expose his neck and bringing his switchblade up to the beating pulse of his carotid artery.</p>
<p>A strangled whimper pulled from Nicky at this sudden movement cut Joe deep causing him to slowly raise his arms up and place the gun on the side table beside Nicky's keys.</p>
<p>Slowly making his way to the table, he took in more details of the scene around him. Fully cooked meal sat on the table, one of his favorites. The dried blood running down the side and front of Nicky’s still exposed neck. The tracks running down the side of his neck darker than the one trailing down the front. The face of the man watching him walk over, looking so familiar.</p>
<p>Finally reaching a chair, pulling it out and seating himself across from Nicky, the man finally released his hold, closed his blade, and sat down himself.</p>
<p>“See, that wasn’t that hard.” He looked thoughtfully at Joe. But Joe only had eyes for Nicky right now.</p>
<p>He looked so scared, his eyes wide. The different sizes of his pupils and bruises blooming across the right side of his face indicating what type of violence had been perpetrated against him. Joe wanted to throw himself across the table, grab Nicky up in his arms and protect him.</p>
<p>Protect him. He should have been home to protect him, he should have told him weeks ago about his current case and recent threats. He wanted to prostrate himself in front of the love of his life and beg forgiveness for failing him. He had caused this. He had caused this pain and fear to be a reality that he had never ever wanted Nicky to face, much less face alone.</p>
<p>“Nicky,” he breathed out reaching across the table. Nicky in turn strained against the tape that trapped him to the chair to meet the hand halfway, desperate for a nice touch, any physical connection to his sun, his heart, his love.</p>
<p>But this moment was ruined before it could fully form as the man made himself known again by swatting Joe’s hands away and putting a firm hand on Nicky's chest, pushing him back to the chair.</p>
<p>New tears leaking from his eyes. “He just won’t stop with the water works,” the man says, going to brush the tears away as Nicky flinches away.</p>
<p>“Do not touch him,” Joe’s steel voice commands as he rises partially from his chair and grabs the man's wrist in his hand.</p>
<p>It is when the man turns to look at him, pulling his hand away from Nicky and out of Joe’s grasp that Joe finally recognizes him.</p>
<p>“Keane?” Joe says as some pieces of this terrifying and strange puzzle slide home.</p>
<p>He was one of the cadets he went through the police academy with. Quick temper and a great shot. He had breezed through the course work telling everybody that his grades didn’t matter because his uncle was gonna be the next commissioner or some other nepotism nonsense. Joe had always quipped back, that was a dangerous game to play, a cop that didn’t know what he was doing. Keane had always easily brushed the comments off and they had both graduated and gone off to their separate paths. Joe had mostly forgotten about him until he showed up at his home, beaten his husband and then, apparently, made him cook dinner.</p>
<p>Sitting down slowly, Keane smiled back at his identity finally dawning on Joe. “I was wondering if you were gonna remember me Officer.”</p>
<p>“I’m not a police officer anymore,” Joe answered back. Racking his brain for the most logical reason this man had suddenly shown back up in his life.</p>
<p>“Yeah. You never were cut out to be a good police officer anyways. No, you never quite grasped the importance of the grays of policing. Too focused on making everything black or white. Good or evil. And that’s what I’m here for tonight. Just a little re-education on the importance of the gray,”</p>
<p>“What are you talking about?” Joe asked back to Keane. His mind whirling with the different avenues this could head down.</p>
<p>“My two employers have become, let’s say, annoyed with your meddlings over the last few weeks. See, what is good for Merrick, is good for the city. We, down at the precinct, have discovered how important it can be to create relationships and trust with some people who you believe to be evil. But our work is to foster a better future for this city. It just might come at the sacrifice of some. Are you following me so far?”</p>
<p>“I think so,” Joe croaked out. He wanted to ask Keane how this better future was working out for Alyssa and the other girls like her. Wanted to shout at him for how far off his moral compass had been skewed. But, more than anything he wanted him out of his house!</p>
<p>“Wonderful, so we can come to an understanding?”</p>
<p>Joe nods his head numbly, turning his gaze back to Nicky. Eyes connecting again across the table. Oh, what he would say and agree to right now just to hear Nicky speak to him.</p>
<p>“Well, let's grab your keys and head to your office, then,'' Keane says merrily as he opens his knife once more.</p>
<p>Joe whipped his head around and gave Keane an incredulous and confused look. “What? Why?”</p>
<p>“Just a precaution. My bosses want to make sure all of the evidence you have collected against the Merrick crime family and it’s connections to any city employees is thoroughly and completely destroyed. And I’m just assuming it’s all at your office,” Keane says as he moves to stand up.</p>
<p>Joe’s mind tracking and trying to catch up, realizes at least this is a chance to remove the man from his house and his Nicky.</p>
<p>But, he felt his whole chest seize and turn cold as Keane moved to cut the tape away that was attaching Nicky to the kitchen chair.</p>
<p>“Woah, hey, we can leave him out of this.” Joe said quickly, rising from his own chair. “He doesn’t have anything to do with this. I haven’t told him anything about this. Please, we can just leave him here,” Joe can hear his voice moving more and more into a pleading tone. He had never been great at hostage negotiations, always wearing his feelings on his sleeve.</p>
<p>“You know, earlier, Nicky here said that there wasn’t anything of value in this apartment,” Keane said as he manhandled Nicky up from the kitchen chair. Nicky putting on a show of irritation and general unease of this man touching him again. A small keening noise escaping his throat as Keane once more put the knife to his throat. “But I disagreed with him. I think for you, the most valuable thing in this apartment is this man. The way I have seen you look at him, touch him, whisper sweetly in his ear,” Keane acting out the last part of his words as he had seen Joe do, causing Nicky to flinch away eyes clenched shut pulling in a quick inhale loudly through his nose. “I have a feeling that you would do anything in your power to keep him safe,”</p>
<p>“Of course I would!” Joe felt his voice rising, anger and fear boiling inside him at the way Nicky was being treated and touched and how visibly Nicky did not want Keane anywhere close to him.</p>
<p>“Which is why you understand why he has to come with us. Once the documents and evidence of value to my boss are destroyed, then this valuable man will be returned to you.” Gripping Nicky's face and bringing it up to once again look at Joe.</p>
<p>They locked eyes. And Joe felt something crumbling away inside of himself. Anything, he knew, he would do anything to keep Nicky safe.</p>
<p>Grabbing his keys from his pocket, Joe answered back, “Alright then, let’s get going.”</p>
<p>-------</p>
<p>Nicky was having a hard time pinning down his feelings about how this night was turning out.</p>
<p>While he was relieved when Joe had walked in the door, the look of shock and fear on his face had broken Nicky’s heart.</p>
<p>As the man, he now knew to be named Keane, had fisted his meaty hands back into his hair, he was also harshly reminded of the fear still coursing through his veins.</p>
<p>Then, there was the utter confusion he felt as he listened to this crazy man’s monologue about grays and his idea for the messed up future for this city.</p>
<p>Finally, the emotion that was currently fighting for the number one spot was anger and a feral energy he only felt when his family was being threatened, which thankfully wasn’t that often. But, tonight, listening to Joe’s pleading voice to leave him at home only to be responded to with such callousness and mocking, he could feel a righteous anger begin stewing inside of himself.</p>
<p>Before they left for the office, Keane had hustled him into one of Joe’s hoodies. Slung over his shoulders to hide his bound hands and the hood thrown up to shield any possible people on the street from the tape still trapping his speech.</p>
<p>With Joe in the lead, Nicky had seen Keane grab Joe’s gun from the side table and place it in his pants. Noticing Nicky’s stare, Keane brought a finger up to his mouth as if shushing him while grinning wickedly. Nicky was actually surprised to find himself glare back at this man. But it did throw light on just how helpless he was with no ability to warn his husband about this new threat.</p>
<p>Was that a growl he felt come from his throat as Keane pulled the door shut and slung his arm over Nicky's shoulder, leading him down the stairs? There was really no way of knowing, especially with his right ear still feeling like it had been packed with cotton.</p>
<p>Reaching Joe’s car, Keane opened the back passenger door pushing Nicky in before sliding in himself. Joe in the front, driving them around in some strange vision of him being their chauffeur for the evening. Nicky could literally feel the tension and fear rolling off his husband in waves.</p>
<p>Under the cover of the hoody, Nicky took this time to try and break out of the tape wound around his hands. Working his hands back and forth minutely while trying to use his, unfortunately, short and blunt fingernails to create weaknesses with small rips.</p>
<p>Finally feeling like he had made some progress during this incredibly awkward drive, they pulled up in front of The Old Guard Investigators. Located in the downtown business district of the city, the streets were still partially filled with cars from the restaurants and bars that were located just around the corner along with the tall hotels and other office buildings. Finding the closest spot, they exited Joe's car. Keane continued his rough handling of Nicky by keeping his bruising grasp on his upper arm for the trip from the car, up the stairs, and to Joe's office. </p>
<p>Entering the office, Joe's desk was directly in front of them with chairs seated before it. The red neon of the sign outside the window just behind it throwing a deeply ominous light into the office. To the right was one long filing cabinet and the majesty palm that Nicky had bought Joe last year for his office, still thriving. He remembered telling Joe that he needed a pop of color in his office plus it made the air better to breath. Every time he saw it now, it felt like a piece of himself that Joe got to love and take care of when they were separated. </p>
<p>Being in Joe's office now, not here to drop off a treat from the bakery or pick him up for lunch, he felt like his heart was being gripped in a vice from the fear and anger at this man being capable of destroying this little life they had carved out for themselves. </p>
<p>With his arm still in the firm grip of their captor, he was led to a small area between the front corner of the office and the filing cabinets. From his place of the floor, he could barely see Joe seating himself at his desk and opening his computer. His vision blocked even more when Keane came to stand beside the cabinet and begin pulling out file after file and placing them of Joe's desk. </p>
<p>As they both worked silently, Nicky continued to make progress on loosening his bonds.</p>
<p>Soon, Joe had finished working on his computer and had started to shred the documents that Keane had been placing on his desk. Keane was taking this time to double check Joe’s work on the computer.</p>
<p>“I think this is gonna be all of it,” Joe said with a tired resolve as he continued to work through the last of the paperwork.</p>
<p>It was at this moment everything went to hell.</p>
<p>They all started when they heard the front door opening downstairs. Two voices rang out. Laughing...?</p>
<p>But Keane didn’t waste time mincing words. He pulled out the gun and stalked angrily toward Joe. “Who the fuck did you call?” He practically growled grabbing a fist full of Joe’s hair, wrenching his head back.</p>
<p>Joe’s perfect curls.</p>
<p>Nicky thought he saw the world turn red.</p>
<p>“I didn’t call anybody,” Joe gasped out, bringing his hands up to grasp at Keane’s. “I’ve been in your sight since the apartment.”</p>
<p>Keane dragged him by his hair to the closed door of the office as the identities of the voices could be made out.</p>
<p>Nile and... Booker? Huh? And, from what Nicky could hear they both sounded a little intoxicated.</p>
<p>“Deal with this,” Keane whispered dangerously, finally letting go of Joe’s curls. Placing the gun into the small of Joe’s back as he opened the door.</p>
<p>“Nile...? Booker...? How do you guys know each other?” Joe shouted out. At any other time, the sheer unbelieving tone of Joe’s questions would have been endearingly adorable. Joe would later tell Nicky that his incredulous tone was due to the fact that at the moment he had opened the door and looked downstairs he had seen Nile laying half across her desk with Booker on top of her ‘going to town on her neck’ according to Joe.</p>
<p>“JOE!” Nile shouted back, apparently still laying on the desk, looking at Joe upside down. Both her and Booker had looking up at Joe like two teenagers who had just been caught making out under some bleachers. “I answer your phone! I know everybody!”</p>
<p>God love drunk Nile.</p>
<p>“Yeah, Joe! Nile knows everybody!” Booker yells up next. </p>
<p>God love drunk Booker.</p>
<p>Seriously, any other time, Nicky would find this situation adorable and silly, but as it turns out this is when he was finally able to truly break the tape’s hold. After hours, he could bring both of his arms to the front of his body pulling at the tape gag desperately, dislodging it enough so that they could at least breath properly through his mouth. </p>
<p>Wasting no time, he threw off the hoodie and began to stand. Honestly, he hadn’t really formed a plan past, ‘Get untied.’ So, when Keane turned around so that the gun was pointing at him, Nicky just responded by throwing himself forward and thrusting up the arm and tackling Keane to the ground.</p>
<p>While the gun had fired, Keane had also lost hold of it when he fell. Without thinking, Nicky punched Keane as hard as he could in the face before Keane bucked him off and smashed his already wounded head into the chairs in front of Joe’s desk.</p>
<p>As Keane had made to stand up and grab for the gun Joe flung himself towards it too. Able to grab it first, he hadn’t paid much attention to the fury that now was Keane. Turning around quickly, but without having a chance to lift the gun, Keane punched him hard, crashing his knuckles across Joe’s left eye and cheek causing him to fall down hard.</p>
<p>Nicky, finally having regained his own legs, again threw himself at Keane as he had picked up the gun and aimed it at Joe. But whatever strength he had pulled from during that initial punch had fully fled as Keane easily twisted out of Nicky's grip. Turning and grabbing Nicky by the hair, he drove his knee into his stomach. Right as he made to push the gun into Nicky’s gasping mouth, a shot rang out.</p>
<p>As if in slow motion, Nicky felt his face being sprayed with blood before the full weight of Keane’s dead body fell on top of him.</p>
<p>Doing his best to push Keane off with his shaking arms, he moved him to the side, but definitely most of the body still on top of him, Nicky caught sight of a frozen Nile standing at the threshold of Joe’s office arms still up, gun in hand, staring mouth open, wide eyed at the scene that lay before her.</p>
<p>God love Nile, still a perfect shot even while drunk.</p>
<p>And, with that Nicky felt the rest of his strength flee him, his eyes rolling up into his head.</p>
<p>--------------</p>
<p>Joe came to with a pounding headache to the sound of the second gunshot he had heard that night. Bolting up, he had time to see Nicky pass out under the literal dead weight on top of him.</p>
<p>Scrambling across the floor, he found himself looking at Booker on the other side of Nicky. Moving in tandem to remove the body on top of him.</p>
<p>“Joe, what’s going on?” Booker asked as Joe frantically moved to gather up Nicky in his arms.</p>
<p>“Will you help me? Will you help me with this tape?” Joe asked his voice and hands shaking as he tried to figure out how to pull off the tape without inflicting anymore pain onto his love. It would seem he had pulled it out and off from across his mouth when he had gotten up. Hanging from his face like some strange necklace, it still clung to a lot of his skin and hair.</p>
<p>“I’m calling the police.” Nile spoke in the background. Both of their drunken slurs had disappeared under the stress of the situation.</p>
<p>“No!” Joe choked out from his place on the floor while rocking Nicky in his arms.</p>
<p>“Joe, we gotta call somebody,” Nile said as she gestured toward the scene in front of all of them.</p>
<p>“Call…” he scrunched his face up in thought trying desperately to compartmentalize and create a triage of the tasks he had before him. This night had truly gone to shit.</p>
<p>If they called 911, there was a good chance that an unfriendly face might show up too. He wanted to talk to Andy. But, with Nicky still passed out in his arms he felt at a loss of what he should do next.</p>
<p>“Call Andy.” Booker said from his place on the floor beside Nicky and Joe. Beginning to gently remove the tape from around Nicky's head. Having found some scissors on top of Joe’s desk, he had decided that cutting off a little hair was the best of his limited options.</p>
<p>“Nicolo. Destati. Please open your eyes. Please.”</p>
<p>With a broken moan, Joe watched as Nicky’s eyes finally fluttered open.</p>
<p>“Yusuf.” Nicky answered back, bringing his newly freed hands to wipe away the tears that were streaming down Joe’s cheeks. “My head hurts.”</p>
<p>Then like a dam breaking he clutched at Joe around the middle, buried his face into Joe’s stomach, and began to cry in earnest while speaking quickly. A strange mixture of English, Arabic, and Italian that Booker had come to think of as Nicky and Joe’s own language.</p>
<p>Joe felt his heart breaking as Nicky began to apologize in between sobs. Something about the door being unlocked and his gun.</p>
<p>How could Nicky think any of this was his fault. He was the one who hadn’t told Nicky about the threats or been home to protect him.</p>
<p>But he just clutched at Nicky harder letting him cry and talk. Joe didn’t have the heart to interrupt him after having been forced into silence for the last few hours.</p>
<p>“Joe?” Booker asked softly.</p>
<p>“Andy is on her way.” Nile came to sit with them on the floor.</p>
<p>“He’s a cop.” Joe said looking at Keane’s dead body. Looking back to Nile, he asked, “What happened?”</p>
<p>“When I got up the stairs, he was shoving a gun at Nicky’s face.” Nile answered back shaking her head. “I didn’t even think. It was the only option I had.”</p>
<p>Nile, a family friend of Andy’s, had been temping as their secretary after recently coming home from her tour of duty as a marine. She was bright, funny, and quick witted. In the few months since her arrival, she had fit herself into this strange little family so easily. But, now Joe felt his heart swell with love.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” he choked out as more tears began running down his face hugging Nicky closer to him. He still had his face buried in Joe’s stomach, clutching at Joe as he was the only thing tethering him to reality.</p>
<p>“Shit, Joe. He really cold clocked you.” Nile said reaching up to get a better look at his face.</p>
<p>“You have some training in field medicine, yeah?” Joe asked as he let her fingers skim his face.</p>
<p>“A little.”</p>
<p>“Would you please look at Nicky?” Joe said bending down to whisper at Nicky to unwind himself from his middle.</p>
<p>“Come on Nicky, let Nile look at you.” Joe said as he finally got him to roll onto his back with a pained groan but with his head pillowed in Joe’s lap.</p>
<p>Having really been the first time to get a full view of Nicky all night, Joe soaked in the sight of the mottled bruises, dark black and blue in some places, deep purple in others. As they traveled from the top of his forehead down the length of his face and out toward his right ear and eye. Dried blood was crusted up around his ear and spots on his forehead and cheek where the skin had been split open. Then there was the blood from his split lip that came with its own set of nasty bruises.</p>
<p>Joe was at a loss for words. He felt a look of utter devastation flash across his face as he had to take a second to look away from the terrible scene before him.</p>
<p>“Joe.” Nicky said quietly below him. Pulling his eyes back down, Joe fell forward and placed his hands along both of Nicky's arms. Once more feeling a need to be tethered, Nicky returned in kind by finding his own connection to Joe’s arms.</p>
<p>For the first time all evening, when their eyes met, it wasn’t a look filled with despair and fear but with relief and hope.</p>
<p>Hissing, though, when his hands made contact, Nicky almost immediately pulled back. Lightly catching his hands, Joe saw for the first time all of the cuts, big and small, that had been made from the fight earlier.</p>
<p>“Nicky, what happened?”</p>
<p>More tears welling up in his eyes. “I broke the cat mug you made me.” A strangled half sob half laugh. “I loved that mug.”</p>
<p>Bringing his forehead down, Joe didn’t push Nicky on his half answer. “I’ll make you a new one. I’ll make you 100 new cat mugs.” He said back. Gently brushing his lips to Nicky, he felt wave after wave of love and relief roll off of him.</p>
<p>“Do you think we could be like that one day?” Joe heard Nile ask above him.</p>
<p>“Here, stare into my eyes lovingly for the next 24 hours. I think that will be a good start.” Booker answers back in a teasing tone.</p>
<p>Joe looks up at them with an unreadable look before barking out a short laugh. “You wish. Nicky and I practice staring lovingly into each other’s eyes for at least two hours everyday. You will never catch up.”</p>
<p>“I can bake an entire cake without ever looking away from his eyes.” Nicky mumbled on the floor, trying to move his face as little as possible as he spoke.</p>
<p>All of them looked down at Nicky before a small second of laughter from their little group seemed to help break apart the taut energy that was filling the air.</p>
<p>"What are you guys even doing here?" Joe asks as Nile moved closer to them to look over Nicky.</p>
<p>"Ending a months long flirtation that has been happening over the phone," Booker answers. "And, then both of our apartments are across town, and Nile said she had a key." He ended with a little laugh. </p>
<p>Nile with her own little smile moved forward on her knees. “Hey, Nicky. You look like you’ve seen better days.” He gave a small grunt, his eyes having fallen closed. “Will you open your eyes for me?” As he opened his eyes, she walked him through the motions of how many fingers she was holding up, tracking her finger as well as checking the reactivity of his pupils to light with her phone.</p>
<p>“Ok, so far so good. I’m gonna ask you a few questions now. Do you know what year it is?”</p>
<p>Nicky groaned before saying irritably, “2020, the year that just keeps getting worse.”</p>
<p>“Correct. Alright, can you tell me who the president is?”</p>
<p>“Nile! Please don’t make me say that terrible man’s name out loud.”</p>
<p>She gives a short laugh before moving on, “Fair. How about, can you tell me who your husband is?”</p>
<p>“Yusuf al-Kaysani.” A new voice in the room spoke out, startlingly everybody.</p>
<p>Looking up, Joe saw Andy standing in the doorway of his office with an expression on her face that was a combination of confused, worried, and tired. Joe also noticed a woman he had never met before had also arrived, standing just behind Andy at the door.</p>
<p>“Quynh?” Nile spoke out from the floor. “What are you doing here?”</p>
<p>“Well, we were having a very pleasant meal just a few blocks away. But….” Andy’s voice trailed off her eyes still moving and assessing her surroundings. “Why didn’t you call 911 yet?” A dead body and a hurt Nicky, something was seriously messed up about this situation.</p>
<p>Quynh had made her way into the room at this point before going over to look appraisingly at the body on the ground. “David Keane. He’s a dirty cop. And, one of the top errand boys for the Merrick crime family. His uncle is also the police commissioner and an old family friend of the Merrick family.” She mused as she turned back to the people behind her. Most of them staring up at her with a confused look on their faces.</p>
<p>“I work for the FBI. We’ve been tracking these people's movements for months now. It was actually one of the things Andy and I were talking about at our dinner,” She answered back to their confused faces, looking to Andy with a small smile on her own face. </p>
<p>“So what are we supposed to do if we can’t call the cops?” Booker asked the million dollar question of the night.</p>
<p>“Quynh, can you call your people at the FBI? Maybe handle this as a federal investigation?” Andy bustled about going into her 'Boss' mode that Joe both loved and was terrified of as Quynh walked out of the office pulling out her phone. “What were you doing here, Joe?”</p>
<p>“He wanted me to destroy all of the evidence I had collected about my investigation into the dirty cops and Merrick connection. I don’t even know what they thought I had. You know what I had, there was nothing concrete or substantial. I had just finished deleting everything off my computer and was just finishing up with shredding hard copies when everything went to hell.”</p>
<p>Andy was using a pencil to open up the files still sitting next to the shredder. Face contemplative, “Booker, do you think you could recover whatever Joe just deleted?”</p>
<p>“Oh, I definitely can.”</p>
<p>“Nicky needs to go to a hospital.” Nile spoke, “I'm pretty sure he has a concussion.”</p>
<p>“Do you think you could go with Joe and Nicky to the hospital, Nile? I don’t know what exactly happened tonight, but the level of escalation that seems to have happened from dropping off pictures this morning to whatever just happened in this office makes me want a 24 protection on you two.”</p>
<p>“Boss, I think I should actually stick around. I am technically the one that shot him.”</p>
<p>“My partner Lykon is almost here. He can escort you guys to the hospital. I trust that man with my life, so, you’ll be in good hands.” Quynh said as she walked back into the office.</p>
<p>Everything became a blur after that for Joe as people began to arrive and move about his office. Eventually, Lykon showed up and took Joe and Nicky to the closest hospital to get both of them checked out.</p>
<p>Finally having their first quiet moment together all night, Joe found them sitting quietly in a private room, Lykon standing guard outside. Nicky was laying in bed dozing on and off, the doctors wanting to keep for observation for a few hours. Joe sat in a chair off the side, both hands grasping at Nicky's bandaged hand, his forehead pressing gently against them.</p>
<p>Joe started as Nicky gasped awake, wild eyes moving quickly around the room.</p>
<p>“Hey, hey Nicolo, you’re safe.” Joe spoke as calmly as he could as he finally made eye contact with Nicky's crazed gaze. “We’re at the hospital, remember?”</p>
<p>Nicky closed his eyes, letting his head fall back while nodding. “I dreamed that he had shot you. That I wasn’t quick enough.” Nicky pulled in a shuddering breath.</p>
<p>“Sono qui,” Joe whispered into Nicky’s palm as he gently cupped it to his face.</p>
<p>“He grabbed your curls,” Nicky continued as he brought his other hand over to pet at the top of Joe’s head.</p>
<p>“He grabbed your hair too,” Joe said looking up to make meaningful eye contact with Nicky. “Do you wanna talk about what happened?”</p>
<p>Nicky began to shake his head no, but the movement turned into a shrug. “I don’t know if I can go back to the apartment.” He confessed, feeling slightly embarrassed when he heard the words come out of his mouth.</p>
<p>“Of, course, we will figure something out,” Joe agreed immediately.</p>
<p>“I… he…” Nicky tried to find the words to explain how the man had now made him feel terror each time he thought about his home. Their perfect small kitchen full of soft touches now made his chest feel tight with the thought of being trapped in it. Their hardwood floors, he now had intimate knowledge of what it felt like to have his face smashed into it, repeatedly. That meal he had cooked, the thought of it now making his stomach turn.</p>
<p>But, he could feel more tears begin falling from his eyes and knew he didn’t have the words yet to describe what had happened tonight.</p>
<p>“We will figure it out hayati,” Joe smiled up at Nicky. “I am just so glad you are awake. As much as I like watching you sleep...”</p>
<p>“Bed head?” Nicky answered back with a smile. “Joe, I love you so much.” Despite the ache in his hands, Nicky tightened his grip on Joe’s.</p>
<p>“I love you too,” he answered back.</p>
<p>For the first time all night, Joe actually felt himself relax. He wasn’t gonna say it out loud yet, but their lives were about to change in ways he didn’t have the mental capacity to imagine. But, whatever happened, there was absolutely nobody else he would want to do it with.</p>
<p>“So, Booker and Nile? Who saw that coming?” Nicky mumbled sleepily with a small smile on his face.</p>
<p>With a laugh, Joe answered back, “Did hear how she yelled at me?”</p>
<p>fin</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, what I learned from my first little foray into writing fanfics is that I am really good at beating people up, but not quite as good at comforting them after...</p>
<p>I have an idea of a sequel that I want to write, much more hugs and snugs would happen there</p>
<p>&lt;3</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>heyo! im a long time reader of fanfics and first time poster today! hope everybody enjoys the little universe i've created for Joe and Nicky!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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